All invited for cestnuts roasted on an open fire, a surprise TBA from DH&G owner Mark Hodesh (sometime before 5 p.m.), and performances at 8 & 9 p.m. by Our Own Thing Chorale, a the popular local chorus directed by U-M music professor emeritus Willis Patterson.
7:30 a.m.-midnight, Downtown Home & Garden, 210 S. Ashley. Free. 662-8122. [map]

Great meals deserve a great presentation. Our Sumptuous Table exhibit, which runs from October 18 to December 8, 2013, is a display of stylish handmade ceramic dinnerware by Yourist Studio Gallery Resident Artists and will include place settings and serving pieces designed to complement your good cooking and grace your table. So come feast your eyes on our dinnerware exhibit, with pieces perfect for our own home, for wedding presents, and as holiday gifts for family and friends. Artists' Reception will take place on Friday, October 25, from 5 to 8 p.m.
Yourist Studio Gallery, 1133 Broadway. Free. 734-662-4914. kay@youristpottery.comyouristpottery.com [map]

UCLA art history professor Lothar Von Falkenhausen discusses how far archaeology has progressed in China during the past half-century, in light of some of the many important archaeological discoveries that have been made in all parts of the country.
4-5:30 p.m., Michigan League Vandenberg Room. Free. 764-8888. [map]

Screening of Stephen Frears' 2013 drama about a world-weary journalist who investigates the story of a woman's search for her son who was taken from her decades ago after she became pregnant and was forced to live in a convent. Judi Dench.
Times TBA at michtheater.org, Michigan Theater. $10 (children under 12, students with ID, seniors age 55 & older, & U.S. veterans, $8; MTF members, $7.50; films before 6 p.m., $7). 668-TIME. [map]

ThisOver 150 creative craft persons, showcasing their most recent and exceptional work, from throughout Michigan, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio will travel to this show starting at 5 p.m.- 11 p.m. on Friday, December 6 at the Saline Middle, 7190 N. Maple Road, Saline, MI 48176. Other crafters include decorative painting, stoneware, rugs, birdhouses, holiday decorating ideas, ceramics, calligraphy and clothing. All of these products are designed, made and displayed by the individual crafters and available at affordable prices. Artists will be present and available to customize and personalize their works. ChriPeggy Ernst of Saline visits the December show with great anticipation of the holidays. Having attended this show since it originated in 2004, Peggy says, "I love it. I wouldn't miss it. I find the best gifts plus it puts me in the mood for the Holiday spirit especially when you share it with friends. And I can leave work, begin shopping and have a
Saline Middle School, 7190 N. Maple Road, Saline, MI, 7190 N. Maple Road, Saline. $3. 734-429-5922; 734-429-8020. cheryl.hoeft@gmail.comwww.salineshows.com [map]

With screenings of the 30-minute planetarium show Star Talk (5:30, 6:30, 7:30, & 8:30 p.m.) about what you can see in the current night sky, a reading astronaut Mark Kelly's Mousetronaut (6 & 7 p.m.) with images from the book projected on the planetarium dome, planetarium dome, the interactive demo "Cooking Up a Comet" (6 p.m.), and 30-minute dinosaur tours (7 & 8 p.m.).
5-9 p.m., Natural History Museum, 1109 Geddes at North University. Free admission. Planetarium shows are $3. 764-0478. [map]

Zingerman's Creamery staff discuss and offer samples of 7 American cheeses from western states that use terroir and milk to mimic the flavors of European mountain cheeses.
7-9 p.m., Zingerman's Creamery, 3723 Plaza Dr. $30. 929-0500. [map]

U-M drama lecturer Kate Mendeloff directs RC students in scenes from Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes, Tony Kushner's celebrated 2-play series exploring the apocalyptic fears at the heart of contemporary culture, and 'Night Mother, Marsha Norman's controversial 1983 Pulitzer Prize-winning drama about a divorced woman, living with her mother, who chooses suicide in an effort to take control of her own life.
7 p.m., Keene Theatre, East Quad, 701 East University, Free. 647-4354. [map]

Many merchants are open late tonight with special sales. Appearances by Santa and Miss Washtenaw County. Sidewalk entertainment TBA. Also, Santa's Mailbox is accepting letters (postage to North Pole courtesy of the MSAA) Nov. 29-Dec. 17 in front of Literati Bookstore (124 E. Washington; include a return address to receive a response from Santa).
7-9 p.m. (some stores open later), Main Street shopping areas. Free admission. 668-7112.

Dec. 5-7 & 14. Local actors premiere Don Hart and Jay Sappington's new family-friendly musical about a reclusive grandfather who avoids a family shopping expedition to stay at home with his granddaughter and decorate the Christmas tree. As he tells her the Christmas story, a play within the play unfolds, with members of the modern family becoming wise men and shepherds in ancient Bethlehem. The Dec. 14 show at the Michigan Theater is preceded by Christmas carols on the organ, treats in the lobby, and (possibly) a reindeer outside the theater.
7 p.m. (Dec. 5-7 & 14) & 2 p.m. (Dec. 7), Ann Street Music Room (except Dec. 14, Michigan Theater), 812 Ann St., Ypsilanti. Dec. 5-7 tickets, $15 (kids, $8) in advance at onesleepynight.com; Dec. 14 tickets, $20 in advance at ticketmaster.com. 973-6010. [map]

Nov. 22-24 and Dec. 5-8. EMU drama professor Christine Tanner directs EMU drama students in Barbara Robinson's comedy about a family of hooligans who take over the Sunday school Christmas pageant. Joseph and the Wise Men get in a fight, Mary runs away with the baby, and as the miscreants lie, steal, and smoke cigars, the pageant descends into a state of raucous hilarity that harbors a heart-warming denouement. A family-oriented production for theatergoers age 6 & up.
7 p.m. (Thurs.-Sat.) & 2 p.m. (Sun), EMU Quirk Theater, Ford St. (off Lowell at Jarvis), Ypsilanti. Tickets $15 (students, $12; kids 12 & under, $7) in advance and at the door. 487-1221.

Dec. 6-8. Elegantly elaborate medieval English pageant celebrating Christ's birth with a blend of religious pageantry and secular pomp. Brian Altevogt directs a large cast of Concordia students, faculty, and staff as Beefeaters, hunters, jesters, and other court characters, as well as traditional Christmas shepherds and magi. With musical narration, congregational singing, and a full orchestra. This hugely popular event sells out in advance every year.
7:30 p.m. (Dec. 6 & 7) & 4 p.m. (Dec. 8), Concordia University Chapel of the Holy Trinity, 4090 Geddes at Earhart. Tickets $8-$15 in advance at the Kreft Center Box Office. 995-4612. [map]

Wendy Dubois directs EMU dance students in her choreography of Leon Minkus's brilliantly orchestrated 1869 ballet based on an episode in Cervantes' iconic novel. The score is performed live by the EMU Symphony Orchestra. An abridged version of this program is presented earlier today at 10 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. in 2 free 50-minute children's concerts (reservations required at 487-2448).
7:30 p.m., Pease Auditorium, W. Cross at College Place, EMU campus, Ypsilanti. Tickets $10 (seniors & students, $8; children under 12, $6) in advance and at the door. 487-2282.

All invited to peer through the telescopes in the observatory and on the Angell Hall roof and to view shows in the planetarium. Also, short astronomy presentations by club members.
8-10 p.m., 5th floor rooftop observatory, Angell Hall (enter through Haven Hall on the Diag side of the building). Free. 764-3440. [map]

This Arizona-based musician performs classic rock covers. Ode to Quetzalcoatl, an album he recorded in the 1960s when he was part of the Christian cult The Group, now sells for thousands of dollars on eBay. Tonight's performance is part of the Detroit-based web series Far Off Sounds and includes info about Bixby's involvement with The Group, music video, and travelogue.
8 p.m., Canterbury House, 721 E. Huron. $10 (students, $5). 665-0606. [map]

This veteran singer-songwriter from Lynn, Massachusetts, a Green Wood favorite, writes sharp-witted songs about everyday life that blend pathos, humor, and biting satire, and his live shows feature a lot of impromptu storytelling and comedy. His fans include Christine Lavin and Livingston Taylor, and he's released 4 acclaimed CDs, including the recent Winning Streak. A big hit in earlier Green Wood appearances.
8 p.m., FUMC, Green Wood Church, 1001 Green Rd. at Glazier Way. $17 (kids 10 & under, 2 for the price of 1) in advance and at the door. 665-8558. [map]

This local men's chorus, directed by Pioneer High School choir director Steven Lorenz, and The Singing Men of Ohio University perform separate programs of holiday music. The 2 groups also come together to sing Wendell Whalum's arrangement of "Betelehemu" and Peter Sozio's arrangement of "El Yivneh Hagalil."
8 p.m., St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, 2250 E. Stadium. $15 (kids age 12 & under, seniors, & students with ID, $10) in advance and at the door. 649-7664. [map]

Dec. 5-8. Mitch Gillet and Laura Swierzbin direct this accomplished local town-and-gown company in Gilbert and Sullivan's only tragicomedy. Tudor-era war hero Colonel Fairfax is accused of sorcery by a greedy relative who stands to inherit a fortune if the colonel dies a bachelor. But on execution day, Fairfax asks a friend to find him a wife--any wife--so that he can foil the plot. The friend finds the humble Elsie, a traveling minstrel who is promised 100 crowns for agreeing to a temporary marriage. But at the last minute, Fairfax is smuggled out of town, and Elsie finds herself married to a man she's never met. Despite its comic plot twists, Yeomen is the only G&S operetta with an unhappy ending, which nudges its tone closer to the realm of opera. Most think that Yeomen was librettist Gilbert's attempt to soothe composer Sullivan, who had tired of their collaboration and yearned to write grand opera.
8 p.m. (Dec. 5-7) & 2 p.m. (Dec. 7 & 8), Lydia Mendelssohn Theater, Michigan League. Tickets $18 & $20 (seniors, $18; students, $10) in advance at brownpapertickets.com/event/459457. umgass.org. [map]